BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - A North Dakota sheriff is hoping a new $69 million jail will help his county save money by not having to send inmates to other jails.
The new Burleigh County jail will aim to help inmates through work release, re-entry counseling, increased chaplain services and Alcoholics Anonymous groups, The Bismarck Tribune (https://bit.ly/2riX03M ) reported.
The jail will also have five amphitheater-shaped pods, which will have six cell blocks that can hold up to 16 people. They will be classified by security level, with people who commit more serious offenses under the closest supervision.
The facility is also slated to have a “special management unit” that will be similar to solitary confinement for people who break rules, have serious health problems or who staff decide need to be separated.
Burleigh County Sheriff Pat Heinert said with more space at the 525-bed jail, the county will be able to cut the cost of moving as many as 50 inmates a night to other jails in the state. Last year, the county spent more than $1.1 million on the system.
However, there’s concern the new jail will quickly fill up because of a surge in arrests.
The jail will house inmates from Burleigh and Morton counties. The counties’ incarceration rate is currently about 301 per 100,000 people.
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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, https://www.bismarcktribune.com
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